THE CHINCH-BUG IN 1896. 



inarkably dry one, everything was in favor of the chinch-bug, 

 and consequently large numbers are now with us snugly 

 hidden in such shelters in which they spend the winter. 



The counties that suffered most from the insects were 

 Dakota, Goodhue, Wabasha, Winona and Scott, all, with 

 the exception of Scott county, located in the Mississippi 

 valle3^ Two boxes of spores, with instructions, were mailed 

 to each applicant and the following table shows how many 

 farmers applied for them in different counties: 



Blue Earth count3' 16 farmers. 



Brown county 62 



Carver county 11 



Chisago count3' 14 



Dakota county 194 



Dodge county 14 



Douglas county 8 



Fillmore county 32 



Goodhue county 56 



Hennepin county 36 



Le Sueur county 21 



Norman county «.. 7 



Olmstead count3' 27 



Rice county 37 



Steele county 8 



Scott county 113 



Wabasha county 238 



Washington county 152 



Winona countv 187 



Total 1,233 



Farmers living not too far from the State Experiment 

 Farm called there and received large jars or boxes filled w^ith 

 spores, and many owners of mills and of drug-stores also 

 ot)tained spores in bulk, so that they could distribute them 

 among farmers living in their neighborhood. Owing to the 

 liberality of the state, very large numbers of such spores can 

 be produced very rapidly, and there is now no excuse for not 

 trying this remedy on a fairly large scale. The spores were 

 grown as in 1895 in glass jars upon a mixture of sterilized 

 corn-meal and beef-tea. As long as fresh these spores are 

 very active, but they can not be kept over winter without 

 losing their vitality. This was disclosed by a number of ex- 



